Study: Nursing shortage expected to soar

Demand is expected to grow at 2%-3% per year, according
to a new study by Peter Buerhaus of Vanderbilt University School of Nursing,
Douglas Staiger of Dartmouth University, and David Auerbach of the
Congressional Budget Office. As the need for nurses continues to rise, the
actual supply of nurses will dwindle, the authors said. Many registered nurses
are planning to retire in the next few years, which will offset the amount of
new recruits.

Authors of the extensive report have laid out their own
recommendations to help ease the nursing crunch. Their suggestions include
educating more men as registered nurses and reinforcing the pay-for-performance
system. Healthcare facilities, including nursing homes, currently are
experiencing a nursing shortage that started about 10 years ago.

The 312-page report is currently available in bookstores
and online at www.amazon.com.

A Florida nursing home fired one of its nursing assistants earlier this month after she used social media to call for help for the facility in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, according to local reports.

Voicemails from the Hollywood, FL, skilled nursing facility where several residents died following Hurricane Irma were deleted by Gov. Rick Scott (R), potentially complicating the ongoing investigation into the incident.